Two Months, 11 Hours, 19 Minutes and 42 Seconds!
by CaRiNeSs
Summary: ***Spoilers*** This is my take on what should but won't happen after the Season 8 Finale. If you haven't seen it, beware that this will spoil what happened. I didn't like how the episode went so I changed the ending. For Mark and Lexie Fans!
1. A New Ending

I don't know about you guys but I HATED the Season 8 Finale. I couldn't let my favorite couple end the way Mark and Lexie did. So here is a different take on it. This is part 1 of what will be a 2 shot. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think!

I for one will no longer be watching Grey's Anatomy so I had to figure out some way to give Mark and Lexie the ending they deserved.

I own nothing (or Lexie would not have died)!

This is unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own. I hope you like it!

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A New Ending

Two months, 11 hours, 19 minutes and 42 seconds. That's how long it had been since Mark Sloan realized she wasn't dead. Lexie Grey, his Lexie, hadn't died in that terrible plane crash after all.

They had all thought she was gone. She had quit talking to him; quit breathing. It wasn't until they were rescued and he had demanded they get equipment out there to lift the piece of the plane off her lifeless body had they been able to feel an almost non-existent pulse.

She had slipped into a coma and and her pulse was so weak they hadn't realized she was alive. Some of that he attributed to his own body being in danger at the time but he still felt guilty for leaving her there alone, pinned underneath the shredded ton of metal.

She hadn't died though; her body had just shut down in order to try to repair itself. She was young and strong which was her saving grace. Any lesser person would not have survived such a harrowing event.

So now he sat beside her bed, glancing at his watch. He had been with her for every moment of the two months, 11 hours, 20 minutes, and 8 seconds.

She had been through eight surgeries so far and he was terrified that each would be the last but she had somehow pulled through. They had been able to repair the internal bleeding that had been miraculously minimized by the pressure of the plane.

Callie had reconstructed her pelvis, left arm and both legs. The metal rods now coursing through her body would always be there but the little bone remaining around them had healed over the course of the first month and a half.

The bruising around her torso had faded into a light greenish-yellow that he knew would disappear in time. She hadn't woken from the coma and everyone agreed it was best that her body take the time to heal. Medication had been administered to insure she did not wake up until the majority of the surgeries were completed. They didn't want her in any more pain than necessary so anything they could do to keep her blissfully unaware was done.

Mark on the other hand was painfully aware of every moment of every day. He had hardly seen Sofia except when Callie or Arizona brought her by for a visit. Julie had come by as soon as she gotten back from her conference to find him crying as he held Lexie's hand.

She had seen it then, the love in his eyes that he so clearly gave towards Lexie but never seemed to be there when he looked at her. Part of her knew he had really tried to make it work with her but the other part of her had always known he had already given his heart away to the younger Grey.

Julia had smiled at him. Wished him luck with Lexie and then vanished from his life without much of a second thought. His thoughts were too concerned with Lexie to be heartbroken over her abrupt departure. Seeing Lexie die right in front of him had consumed him and left no room in his heart or mind for the other woman.

So day by day he sat there. He had taken an extended leave of absence from Seattle Grace which was explained by his own injuries. Owen hadn't put up much of a fight seeing as it was Lexie lying in the bed with tubes and wires running all over her body.

He had moved her so she didn't get bed sores and even gave her the sponge baths because he didn't want the nurses hurting her. She had originally been intubated so she wouldn't have to breathe on her own but that tube had been taken out two days before and she was breathing fine for the time being.

They were also slowly weaning her off the meds that kept her sedated. They weren't sure when or if she would wake up and what they would find when she did. Mark just prayed she would still be his Lexie.

A soft moan brought Mark out of his thoughts. He looked up to see her stirring, her eyes fluttering behind their lids.

"Lex.." he gentle squeezed the hand he had been holding onto. His eyes filled with tears again which seemed to be becoming the norm since that terrible day of the plane crash.

Her eyes finally flickered open and met his. He was relieved to see her there behind those dark, bloodshot eyes. She was back and this time he wasn't going to let her walk away.

"Mark?" Her voice was harsh but sounded like music to his ears. She was very weak but managed to ask "what happened?"

"The plane crashed. Do you remember?" He careful cupped her face in his hands as he leaned towards her, laying his forehead against hers.

"But I…" she stopped to catch her breath, "but I thought I died."

Tears he had held back just moments before burst from his eyes. He shook his head, "you didn't. I told you, I told you you weren't going to die." A sob escaped his mouth and he gently wrapped his arms around her, placing soft kisses over her hair and the crown of her head that was now nestled against his neck.

Lexie didn't have words to say anything else. She was weak but managed to reached up and wipe the tears from his cheeks. She tilted her head back to look into his eyes and began to cry as well. She had lived; had lived to see another day from the comfort of Mark's embrace.

Sometime later, a knock sounded, separating the couple. "Mark, I…" Derek trailed off when he saw the couple in each other's arms. "Lexie, you're awake."

Lexie leaned back and managed to use her good arm to wipe her own tears. "Yeah, are you…is everyone else?" She felt bad realizing that she hadn't asked anyone else's fate in the crash. Her and Mark were both alive and that was a miracle in itself.

"Everyone is fine." He lifted up his arm to show her the scars from the safety pin Merideth had used to close his wound. They were still red and painful looking but at least he had use of his arm. "Getting better every day. Glad to see you awake."

He turned to Mark who had set up but was still clutching Lexie as if his life depended on her and in a way it did. "I was coming by to see if you needed anything but I see you have everything now."

Mark nodded and coughed, his voice also a little horse from the crying. "I'm good."

Lexie spoke up then. "I….I need a minister." She was a little unsure of herself and looked to Mark for confirmation.

"What for?" Derek asked, "they were able to repair most of the damage. It will be a long road to recovery but you will be back again Lexie."

"I know, I don't need one because I think I am going to die." Lexie laughed and wiped at the tears. "I need one because I want to live." She took a deep breath "I want to marry you Mark. If you still want me?" That was the last thing she had remembered from that day. He had told her that they would get married because they belonged together.

A smile cracked Mark Slone's face. The first anyone had seen from him in two months, 12 hours, 7 minutes and 18 seconds.

"I know this isn't the greatest place for it but I don't think I am getting out of here anytime soon." Lexie had surmised the damage to herself. She had known her pelvis and legs were crushed and from the scar running the entire length of her left arm, she was pretty sure they had had to insert metal rods in her arm as well. "And I don't want to wait."

"Then let me do this the right way." Mark released Lexie then turned to face her properly. "I promise that I will never stop loving you. When you died…" he backtracked, "when I thought you had died, my life ended. Nothing and no one mattered and all I wanted was to die too so that we could be together. I have no idea why or how God gave us another chance but he did and this time I am not wasting it. You are the ONE Lexie. You are my world. Every day, sitting here, watching you, wishing for you to wake up just made me so much more sure of the decision I made that day. So I am not asking you, I am begging you. Will you marry me?" Somehow asking her right there in the Seattle Grace Mercy West hospital room with his best friend watching over his shoulder seemed right.

"Yes, yes. I will marry you. We are meant for each other, remember?" Lexie smiled as Mark leaned forward and scanned his lips lightly over hers. He then let out a whoop of acknowledgement that was probably heard throughout the hospital. Looking at his watch, time started over again; this moment of this day was when he began to live again.

"I guess I will prepare a wedding then." Derek smiled and slipped out the door, giving the couple some privacy.

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What'd ya think? Second part should be up tonight or tomorrow. Thanks!


	2. A New Beginning

I am amazed at the reviews, alerts, and favorites I received for the first part of this. I hope the 2nd part doesn't disappoint! Thanks again!

I still don't own it and nothing is beta'd...

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A New Beginning

2 Hours, 12 minutes, and 18 minutes later Derek had the wedding underway with the help of Merideth Christina, Callie, Arizona and Chief Webber. The whole hospital had been rushing around in order to get everything ready for the simple yet special wedding of Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey.

In a way, the wedding was much more than just Mark and Lexie getting married; it was a celebration that Seattle Grace Mercy Death had once again faced death head on and had somehow come out alive.

The few hours that Mark, Merideth, Derek, Christina, and Arizona had thought Lexie was dead were some of the most terrible hours they had lived through. They were physically and mentally exhausted and their bodies were beaten and battered by the time help had arrived.

The months that had past since that terrible event had left each of them with a different struggle. Merideth had fortunately been the least hurt but emotionally she was still unsure. Have thought she had lost Lexie to turn around and have her be okay was hard to deal with but with Derek and Zola, she was coping.

Christina had finally gone into shock after being rescued. She had kept herself and everyone else together right after the crash but that had taken an emotional toll on her body as well. She didn't want to have to be the strong one for a while and had fortunately found comfort and strength in the arms of Owen Hunt. Physically, her dislocated shoulder had healed and only felt a little bit of the soreness now and then.

Derek had the emotional strain of the ordeal but he was also coping with regaining strength in his arm. He had thanked God repeatedly that he had not lost his hand and considered himself lucky to have made it out of the ordeal with only a few physical and emotional scars. Given time, he knew his arm would be back up to par with being a neurosurgeon and he would have his OR back.

Arizona had lost a lot of blood and the compound fracture of her left leg was still healing. Callie had been able to use screws to secure the bone back in place and the wound was healing nicely. She would always have a slight limp and possibly use a cane but she could deal with that as long as she had Callie and Sofia. They were her rock and helped her through her ongoing recovery.

Mark had miraculously not gotten any kind of infection from where Meredith had relieved the pressure from his cardiac tamponade. He had actually not even realized something was wrong with him at the time, just attributed the pain in his chest to his heart breaking. He had wanted to die right along with Lexie on that awful day and it was a miracle that they were both still alive. He hated to admit it but only the thought of Sofia needing him had kept him alive when he had thought Lexie was dead. Had it not been for the desperation in Arizona's voice when she told him Sofia was waiting on him, he would not have come back from that ledge he had been about to fall over.

Lexie had been hurt the worst of course but at least she had been in a coma for most of the physical recovery time. Her wounds would still plague her as would the nightmares of what had happened that terrible day but the worse of the literal pain was over. Her body was getting stronger ever day and they are specifically kept her comatose through as much of the healing as could. The task that lay before her now would be strenuous physical therapy to learn to use her arm and legs again. If she was able to learn to walk she would be okay. She was glad she had Mark to lean on for support in that area. He had promised her after she woke up that he would be with her every step of the way no matter where the road led them.

So this wedding, was so much more than just the joining of Mark and Lexie; it was so much more than all of them alone. But together, it was a much needed time to celebrate and be happy that they had lived to see another day.

There was nothing fancy about the wedding. Derek had picked up a suit for Mark to wear as well as the engagement ring he had bought Lexie two years before. He had never told anyone except Derek that he had bought her a ring and they had split up shortly have the purchase but he had kept it. Hoping that someday he would be able to give it to her.

Meredith had been so happy that Lexie was still alive. She had gotten her a simple white dress that no one would see anyway since Lexie was bedridden for the moment but it was at least something. She had gotten the hospital's priest to oversee the small ceremony and had picked up the marriage license that Chief Webber had somehow arrange in the spur of the moment.

Christina had picked up a few vases of roses while Callie and Arizona had gotten the single-tier cake from a local bakery. Everyone had done their part to make sure the wedding went off quickly and without any problems.

The women quickly crowded the room, trying to prepare Lexie and the few decorative touches they have brought with them. Mark is banished from the room and for the first time since walking back into the hospital after the crash, does so with ease and a smile on his face. "I'll be back to marry you soon," he whispered in Lexie's ear then walked out the door with a bounce in his step he had been afraid might never have returned.

Derek presented the suit and ring to his best friend the walked him to the showers so he could change and shave off the scruffy beard that had grown to cover Sloan's face. "Everything's okay?" Sloan questioned Derek, making sure everything was in order.

"Everything's great. The world is finally righting itself."

Mark nodded and took a long look in the mirror. He had somehow gotten older of the past two months. The blue bags under his eyes were harsh and defined. The blonde of his hair seemed to be just a little bit duller than in the past. But one thing that had been so far gone he thought would never be back was the light in his eyes. He felt a rush of emotion to finally see some life back in them. This definitely was not how he'd pictured his wedding day but it would work. When it was the right girl, they could get married anywhere and it'd be perfect.

"You ready?" Derek asked as he handed Mark his tie.

"Never been more ready for anything in my life." Mark nodded then took a deep breath and headed back towards the room where Lexie waited. He glanced at his watch, noting it had been 3 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds since Lexie had decided to become his wife.

Meredith helped Lexie put on the simple white dress. "I'm sorry it isn't much. I knew you couldn't wear the big dress but it's something..."

"It's perfect Mere, thank you." Lexie smiled at her sister. "Thank you for doing all of this." She looked around the room, surprised but happy about the simple touches that somehow made it seem like so much more than the generic hospital room it had been only moments before.

"I'm just..." Meredith choked up and fought to keep the tears from her eyes. "I'm just so happy you are back. You never know how much someone means until there gone. You mean a lot to me Lexie. I love you."

Lexie was taken aback by her sister's words but smiled and pulled her into a hug, "I love you too."

Derek nodded then stepped into the room, "we ready?"

Lexie nodded and whipped the tears out of her eyes. She had only been awake for about a day and had already cried more in that time than she had her entire life.

The room filled up with the invited guests. Lexie watched as Meredith, Derek, Zola, Christina, Owen, Avery, Kepner, Chief, Bailey, Sam, Callie, Arizona, Sofia, Karev, and Teddy all took places in the back of the room.

The priest then came in followed by Mark. Lexie's breath caught as she looked at just how gorgeous Mark looked in his suit. She would definitely never forget this day.

As Mark took her hand in his, the priest asked him to vow to love Lexie and only Lexie for the rest of their lives. In the face of the recent events, that vow took on new meaning so Mark replied that he would love her and only her for eternity.

Lexie made the same vow back to him, knowing that even death could not separate them. The kiss at the end was short and sweet with the reception being barely longer. Lexie was exhausted from the long day and just wanted rest. Everyone wished the couple their best then left them for a few moments alone.

"I love you." Lexie smiled as she laced her fingers through her husband's. "I love you too," was his only reply as he carefully wrapped his arms around her; relishing of the feeling of her in them at last.

"I'm sorry that this is our wedding night." She winced, thinking of the other things they could have been doing if the situation wasn't so grim, "and that it looks like we won't be having a honeymoon anytime soon."

"I'm not. I love you and I was so happy when you said you wanted to marry me. We can have 1000 wedding nights and honeymoons once you are recovered but for now all I need is you here with me: alive and safe." He kissed the top of her head.

"Just promise me one thing," Lexie said, looking up at Mark.

"Anything." He said with a smile on his lips.

"When we go on our honeymoon, can we drive?" Mark laughed and pulled her gently against him again. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

And just like that they were happy again. Lexie would recover, she would stil be a surgeon, and now she would have Mark by her side every step of the way.

Mark looked at his watch once again. They were now 6 hours, 7 minutes, and 9 seconds into their life together and that was definately something to celebrate.

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The End! Did you like it? Please review :)


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